Bus control for a domestic appliance

ABSTRACT

A domestic appliance ( 1 ) with a bus ( 2 ) is disclosed. A plurality of modules ( 3 ) are connected to the bus, each controlling an operational component ( 4 ). Initial programming of the modules may take place from a single connection point ( 61 ). The modules may be configured to control the domestic appliance jointly and non-hierarchically. Suitably, all modules are identical up to content of a data memory provided therein.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a national stage application filed under 35 U.S.C.371 of International Application No. PCT/EP2010/003087, filed May 19,2010, which claims priority from European Patent Application No.09006750.5, filed May 19, 2009, each of which is incorporated herein inits entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention generally relates to a domestic appliance. Moreparticularly, the present invention concerns bus control for domesticappliances.

RELATED ART

Domestic appliances are becoming more and more complex nowadays whenefforts are made to improve the efficiency and/or operationalcapabilities of these domestic appliances. The term “domestic appliance”generally refers to apparatus which are configured to accomplish somehousekeeping task, which includes activities such as cooking, foodpreservation, or cleaning, whether in a household, institutional,commercial or industrial setting. As used herein, the term “domesticappliance” therefore includes but is not limited to apparatus such asdishwashers, washing machines, refrigerators, freezers, clothes dryers,cooking ranges, and microwave ovens that have electrical control of atleast some operations or functions of the apparatus. Occasionally, theterm white goods is also used among practitioners for these apparatuses.

Generally speaking, improved efficiency and/or operational capability ofdomestic appliances may be desired in order to reduce energy consumptionor other resource consumption (e.g., reduction of dishwashing water indishwashers). Electrical control of domestic appliances have thereforebeen used in order to improve efficiency through the use of sensors,e.g., to monitor appliance performance and to provide data to adjust theoperational components of the domestic appliance. This can be done independence of a previously monitored appliance performance and/or inaccordance with a desired operational profile (e.g., turbidity sensorsto detect water turbidity in dishwashers, etc.).

At least partly as a consequence of the increased interest for improvedefficiency and/or operational capability of domestic appliances,domestic appliance manufacturing or assembly have involved the routingof electrical wiring between a power supply and respective operationalcomponents in the domestic appliance that requires the power. Mostdomestic appliances with electronic control systems have included wiringarrangements utilizing direct connections between one single systemcontroller, or main controller, and the various sensors and actuators.

At the same time, the number of options selectable by the user at a userinterface of a particular domestic appliance have increased. Also, thesensors and other devices used to enhance energy and resource efficiencyhave increased in number and have been made more sophisticated. All inall this has led to an increased amount of wiring in domestic appliancesand, as a consequence, the time to install the wiring also increases.

Such assembly techniques may therefore present difficulties with regardto resources used in manufacturing/assembly, such as the wiring toconnect each sensor or actuator to the single system controller and thetime to install the wiring. Further, as the number of wire interconnectshave increased, there is an increased probability of failure of someportion of the wiring for the control system of the domestic appliance.

In order to reduce the amount of wiring, the European Patent No. 0 716361 (hereinafter the '361 patent) suggests to employ a serial buscontrol system. In the '361 patent, one single system controllercontrols all the slave nodes that comprise control sensors/actuators ofthe household appliance. Such a household appliance could potentiallypresent a risk that all operations or functions that are controlled bythe single system controller becomes malfunctioning in the event thesystem controller, for some reason, breaks down.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is with respect to the above considerations and others that thepresent invention has been made. The present invention seeks tomitigate, alleviate or eliminate one or more of the above-mentioneddeficiencies and disadvantages singly or in combination. In particular,the inventors have realized that it would be desirable to achieve adomestic appliance, in which the total amount of wiring used for controlsystem sensors, actuators and the like is reduced as much as possiblewhile maintaining operational reliability of the domestic appliance. Itwould also be advantageous to achieve a domestic appliance, which allowsfor enhanced production efficiency, e.g. in terms of themanufacturing/assembly becoming less labour intensive and/or lessresource demanding.

To better address one or more of these concerns, a domestic appliances,other apparatus and methods having the features defined in theindependent claims are provided. Further advantageous embodiments of thepresent invention are defined in the dependent claims.

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a domesticappliance comprising a bus disposed within the domestic appliance,wherein multiple combined control/connectors are electrically coupled tothe bus, and wherein each combined control/connector is electricallyconnected via the bus to at least one of the other combinedcontrol/connectors to thereby power the at least one combinedcontrol/connector, and wherein each control/connector is communicativelycoupled to a respective operational component of the domestic applianceto thereby control the same, said operational component being associatedwith a certain operation or function of the domestic appliance.

As used herein, the term “combined control/connector” refers to a devicethat combines the functions of a connector block and a control unit, orcontroller. That is, the combined control/connector may be a connectorblock into which a control unit is integrated.

As used herein, the term “bus” refers to a communications system inwhich each component is respectively coupled to the same bus such thatcommunications to or from the control/connectors is passed along thesame bus. Use of the same bus to communicate with each respectivecontrol/connector provides for minimized or at least reduced wiring.

In one embodiment, the bus comprises one single wire. This may providefor serial bus communications. This embodiment may therefore allow for aserial bus control system.

In another embodiment, the bus comprises two or more wires. This mayprovide for parallel bus communications. This embodiment may thereforeallow for a parallel bus control system.

In one embodiment, one of the combined control/connectors is configuredto act as a master node and the rest of the combined control/connectorsare configured to act as slave nodes. The master node may be adapted forestablishing communication between the master node and the slave nodes.Each slave node may be configured to be responsive to at least one of aplurality of slave node address codes so as to generate a slave noderesponse signal to the master node.

As used herein, master/slave is a model for a communication protocol inwhich one combined control/connector (known as the master) controls oneor more other combined control/connectors (known as slaves). It shouldtherefore be appreciated that “master-slave” or similar terminology asused herein refers to a control system in which all communications torespective combined control/connectors acting as slave nodes isinitiated by the combined control/connector acting as the master node,that is, each slave node generates signals on the communications bus inresponse to an inquiry from the master node.

In one embodiment, the above-mentioned bus comprises both acommunications bus configured for passage of digital communicationssignals between the combined control/connector acting as the master nodeand the combined control/connectors acting as slave nodes, and a powerbus configured for providing electrical power to the combinedcontrol/connectors.

In still a further embodiment, each multiple combined control/connectorcomprises a controller configured to control the respective operationalcomponent in dependence of an operational profile of the domesticappliance. The operational profile may be user-selectable via a userinterface, a.k.a. man-machine interface, of the domestic appliance.

In one embodiment, each combined control/connector comprises acontroller configured to sense a condition of the respective operationalcomponent and generate control signals to components of the domesticappliance in dependence of the sensed condition.

In one embodiment, the controller comprises a processor andcommunications module communicatively coupled to the processor, whereinthe communications module is configured for passage of a control signal,e.g. generated by the processor, between the combined control/connectorand the respective operational component for controlling the operationof said operational component.

In one embodiment, the power bus is configured for providing electricalpower to the operational components via the respective combinedcontrol/connectors.

The electrical power may, e.g., be high-voltage power.

The domestic appliance may be any appliance from the group comprising: adishwasher, a washing machine, a refrigerator, a freezer, a clothesdryer, a cooking range, and a microwave oven.

In a preferred embodiment, the domestic appliance is a washing machine.The operational components may, e.g., be any component from the from thegroup comprising: a motor, a pump, a heater, a sensor, or a valve.

In another preferred embodiment, the domestic appliance is a dishwasher.The operational components may, e.g., be any component from the from thegroup comprising: a motor, a pump, a heater, a sensor, or a valve.

In contrast to the '361 patent which discloses a serial bus controlsystem using only one single system controller for controlling alloperational components (i.e., the actuators/sensors) of the appliance,the various embodiments of the present invention suggest using onecontrol unit (i.e., the combined control/connector) for each operationalcomponent of the domestic appliance. To this end, the domestic applianceaccording to the various embodiments of the present invention includesseveral (i.e., two or more) control units (in the form of the combinedcontrol/connectors), wherein each of these control units is configuredto control its own respective operational component. Thus, as comparedto the '361 patent, the various embodiments of the present inventionsuggest an alternative technical solution for reducing the wiring in adomestic appliance. An advantage of having one control unit (in the formof the combined control/connector) for each operational component of theappliance is that there is a reduced risk that all operations/functionsof the appliance becomes malfunctioning if only one breaks down. If onlyone control unit (i.e. one control/connector) breaks down for somereason, then, most probably only the operation/function of theoperational component associated with that control unit will stopfunctioning properly. Since the risk that all combinedcontrol/connectors stop working at the same time is relatively low, therisk that all functions/operations of the appliance will becomemalfunctioning simultaneously is consequently reduced, as compared tothe '361 patent.

In a second aspect of the invention, there is provided domesticappliance comprising a bus, to which are connected modules being either:

a power supply module for electrically powering the bus; or

a combined control/connector consisting of:

a processing means;

a memory for storing instructions executable by the processing means;

a connecting means communicatively coupled to the processing means andadapted to connect an operational component of the domestic appliance;and

additional hardware communicatively coupled to the processing means,

which combined control/connector is adapted to communicate with at leastone other module via the bus and to interact with the operationalcomponent,

wherein the domestic appliance comprises at least two combinedcontrol/connectors connected to the bus and wherein all combinedcontrol/connector have identical processing means, memory, connectingmeans and additional hardware, and are distinguishable only with respectto memory content.

In a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a combinedcontrol/connector, which consists of:

-   -   a processing means;

a memory for storing instructions executable by the processing means;

a connecting means for connecting an operational component of a domesticappliance, said connecting means being communicatively coupled to theprocessing means; and

additional hardware communicatively coupled to the processing means,

and which is adapted to cooperate with a further module, which isconnected thereto via a bus in a domestic appliance to form a network,and which is a further combined control/connector having processingmeans, memory, connecting means and additional hardware identical tothose of the combined control/connector and is distinguishable from saidcombined control/connector only with respect to memory content.

The second and third aspects are advantageous by virtue of a decreasedinventory costs. Their technical features also achieve simplicity ofassembly and adaptability to different layouts of the domesticappliance.

In a fourth aspect, the invention provides a method implemented at acombined control/connector for non-hierarchically controlling a domesticappliance comprising a plurality of operational components connected viacombined control/connectors, which are in turn communicativelyinterconnected via a bus, the method including:

receiving a communication enabling start of an operational phase from afirst combined control/connector;

initiating the operational phase by interacting with an operationalcomponent connected to said combined control/connector;

terminating the operational phase; and

transmitting a communication that the operational phase is terminated toa second combined control/connector.

In a fifth aspect, the invention provides a method of non-hierarchicallycontrolling a domestic appliance comprising a plurality of operationalcomponents connected via combined control/connectors, which are in turncommunicatively interconnected via a bus, the method including thefollowing steps:

at a first combined control/connector:

A1) initiating an operational phase by interacting with an operationalcomponent connected to the first combined control/connector;

A2) terminating the operational phase; and

A3) transmitting a communication that the operational phase isterminated to a second combined control/connector;

at a second combined control/connector:

B1) receiving the communication from the first combinedcontrol/connector;

B2) initiating, responsive to the communication from the first combinedcontrol/connector, an operational phase by interacting with anoperational component connected to the second combinedcontrol/connector; and

B3) terminating the operational phase.

In a sixth aspect, the invention provides a combined control/connector,which comprises:

a processing means; and

a connecting means for connecting an operational component of thedomestic appliance, said connecting means being communicatively coupledto the processing means,

and which is adapted to form a network in a domestic appliance throughconnection via a bus to at least one further combined control/connector,with which it is adapted to communicate via the bus,

wherein said combined control/connector is adapted to cooperate with atleast one further combined control/connectors connected to it in orderto non-hierarchically control the domestic appliance.

In the fourth, fifth and sixth aspects, the combined control/connectorstake turns in controlling the domestic appliance. This provides theadvantage of enabling a lean, cost-effective structure of each combinedcontrol/connector. In particular, only a limited amount of instructionsneed to be saved at each combined control/connector, which can thereforebe equipped with a memory of moderate size. The same holds true ofprocessing capabilities, for the cooperative execution of thenon-hierarchical control distributes the load over the processing meansof several combined control/connectors.

In a seventh aspect, the invention provides a combinedcontrol/connector, which comprises:

a processing means;

a memory for storing instructions executable by the processing means;and

a connecting means for connecting an operational component of a domesticappliance, said connecting means being communicatively coupled to theprocessing means,

wherein the combined control/connector is adapted to form a networkcomprising at least one further combined control/connectorcommunicatively coupled to it via a bus in a domestic appliance;

and wherein the combined control/connector is adapted, at initiation ofthe network, to:

i) assume a label identifying an operational component connected to thecombined control/connector;

ii) receive, via the bus, a non-specified communication containinginstructions executable by the processing means and store these in thememory; and

iii) receive, via the bus, a communication which is specified by thelabel identifying the operational component and contains instructionsexecutable by the processing means and store these in the memory;

and wherein the combined control/connector is adapted, after initiationof the network, to cooperate with a further combined control/connectorin the network.

In an eighth aspect, the invention provides a method of initiating anetwork in a domestic appliance, the network comprising a plurality ofcombined control/connectors communicatively connected via a bus, whereineach combined control/connector comprises:

a processing means;

a memory for storing instructions executable by the processing means;and

a connecting means communicatively coupled to the processing means, forconnecting an operational component of the domestic appliance,

the method including:

connecting a programming device to the bus;

transmitting, from the programming device and via the bus, acommunication causing the combined control/connectors to assume labelsidentifying operational components connected to the respective combinedcontrol/connectors;

transmitting, from the programming device and via the bus, anon-specified communication containing instructions executable by theprocessing means;

transmitting, from the programming device and via the bus, acommunication which is specified by the label of one operationalcomponent and contains instructions executable by the processing meansof this combined control/connector to which it is connected; and

disconnecting the programming device.

Hence, in the seventh and eighth aspects, a combined control/connectoris adapted to ignore communications sent via the bus that are specifiedby labels that do not identify the operational component connected toit. This enables efficient initial programming (downloading of softwareinstructions to combined control/connectors), because a common portionof the software can be distributed to all combined control/connectors atonce, while the individual portions, specific for each combinedcontrol/connector (e.g., specified in terms of the operational componentconnected thereto) is distributed in another phase of the programming.The communications used for distributing the respective softwareportions are either non-specific (common portion) or specified in orderto be stored at the relevant combined control/connectors. Further,programming can be carried out by connecting a programming device to apoint on the bus, from which all connected combined control/connectorscan be communicated with.

Generally, the various embodiments of the invention may exhibit the sameor similar advantages.

These advantages and/or other aspects of the invention will be apparentfrom and elucidated with reference to the illustrative embodimentsdescribed hereinafter.

Generally, all terms used herein are to be interpreted according totheir ordinary meaning in the technical field, unless explicitly definedotherwise herein. All references to “a/an/the [element, device,component, means, step, etc.]” are to be interpreted openly as referringto at least one instance of the element, device, component, means, step,etc., unless explicitly stated otherwise. It should also be emphasizedthat the term “comprise(s)/comprising” or “include(s)/including” whenused herein is taken to specify the presence of stated features,integers, steps or components but does not preclude the presence oraddition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components orgroups thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in moredetail, reference being made to the enclosed drawings, on which:

FIG. 1 is block diagram of a domestic appliance bus control system inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of an embodiment of a combinedcontrol/connector;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a dishwasher being provided with anoperational component in the form of a turbidity sensor in the fluidcirculation system for detecting the degree of contamination of thefluid;

FIG. 4 contains generalised block diagrams showing four combinedcontrol/connectors according to embodiments the invention;

FIG. 5 contains generalised block diagrams showing four power supplymodules according to embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a generalised block diagram of a domestic appliance accordingto an embodiment of the invention, wherein the appliance comprises anetwork adapted to be initiated by means of a programming device;

FIG. 7 includes, on the one hand, a generalised block diagram of a busnetwork comprising combined control/connectors and operationalcomponents connected to these and, on the other hand, a signallingdiagram showing the communications exchanged at different points in timebetween the combined control/connectors; and

FIG. 8 shows a combined control/connector at four different points intime of the initiation of a network in a domestic appliance according toan embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS I

The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplifyingembodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, beembodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limitedto the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments areprovided by way of example so that this disclosure will be thorough andcomplete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to thoseskilled in the art. Furthermore, like numbers refer to like elementsthroughout.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is illustrated (in phantom) a domesticappliance 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention. Asalready described hereinabove, various embodiments of the presentinvention can be employed in various types of domestic appliances 1. Tothis end, the domestic appliance 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 may be adishwasher, a washing machine, a refrigerator, a freezer, a combinedrefrigerator/freezer, a clothes dryer, a cooking range, a microwaveoven, or the like.

As outlined in the exemplifying embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the domesticappliance 1 may comprise a bus control system 10. As can be seen in FIG.1, a bus 2 is disposed within the domestic appliance 1. Multiple, i.e.two or more, combined control/connectors 3 a, 3 b, 3 c, 3 d, 3 e, 3 fare electrically coupled to the bus 2. Each combined control/connector 3a, 3 b, 3 c, 3 d, . . . is electrically connected or coupled via the bus2 to one or several of the other combined control/connectors 3 a, 3 b, 3c, 3 d, . . . . For example, the combined control/connector 3 a iselectrically connected to the combined control/connector 3 b, whereasthe combined control/connector 3 b is electrically connected to both thecombined control/connectors 3 a and 3 c. Furthermore, each of thecombined control/connectors 3 a, 3 b, 3 c, 3 d, . . . is communicativelycoupled to a respective operational component 4 a, 4 b, 4 c, 4 d, 4 e, 4f for controlling the same. For instance, the combined control/connectordenoted 3 d is communicatively coupled to the operational componentdenoted 4 d.

The operational components 4 a, 4 b, 4 c, 4 d, . . . are associated witha respective operation and/or function of the domestic appliance 1. Inother words, an operational component 4 is a component that controls anoperation and/or function of the domestic appliance 1. Operationalcomponents 4 may include sensors or actuators or a combination thereof.Examples of sensors include temperature sensors, pressure sensors,ambient condition sensors, turbidity sensors, motor load sensors,mechanical component position sensors, etc. Actuators include controlrelays, triacs or similar switching components, etc. Examples ofactuators may thus include control relays for operating a motor, foropening/closing a valve, lighting elements in the domestic appliance,etc. Examples of combination sensor/actuator devices include damperdrive motors, and temperature or humidity sensors coupled to fan speedsensors.

It should be readily understood that the number of and types of sensorsand/or actuators used in a particular domestic appliance 1 depends onthe type of domestic appliance 1. For example, if the domestic appliance1 is a dishwasher, the dishwasher may include one or several sensors(e.g., a turbidity sensor for measuring the cleanliness of thedishwashing water), a control relay for operating a motor, a controlrelay for operating an inlet/outlet valve, a control relay for operatinga heater, etc. The number of and types of sensors and/or actuators usedin a particular domestic appliance 1 also depends on specificend-customer needs and therefore the exact number and/or types ofoperational components 4 has to be tested and evaluated for eachspecific use case.

In the exemplifying embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the bus 2comprises two or more wires, with one wire providing a power source,such as a direct-current (DC) source, to power the combinedcontrol/connectors 3 and one wire providing a bi-directionalcommunications path between the various combined control/connectors 3.In such embodiment, the DC power supply wire of the bus 2 can be coupledto a DC power supply 5. The DC power supply 5 may be a high-voltage DCpower supply. As can be further seen in FIG. 1, the bus 2 is arranged ina loop in the appliance 1 and the various combined control/connectors 3a, 3 b, 3 c, 3 d, . . . are arranged at intermediate positions along theloop.

The domestic appliance 1 of the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1further comprises a control device 6 or the like such that a user canoperate the domestic appliance 1. The control device may comprise or becommunicatively connected to a user interface (UI) 7. If communicativelycoupled as illustrated in FIG. 1, the communication between the controldevice 6 and the UI 7 may be performed in a wireless or wired (notshown) fashion. The control device 6 may further be connected to aprocessing unit 7 comprising a data source 8, such as hard drive, amemory unit, a flash memory, etc. from which data source 8 variouspre-stored operational profiles of the domestic appliance 1 areselectable. The control device 6 is configured to generate controlsignals and communicate control signals, e.g. in dependence of aselected operational profile selected by a user via UI 7, to thecombined control/connectors 3. The communication between the controldevice 6 and the combined control/connectors 3 may be performed in awireless or wired (not shown) fashion.

In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the invention as embodiedin FIG. 1, one of the combined control/connectors, e.g. the combinedcontrol/connector denoted 3 a, is configured to act as a master node,hereinafter referred to as the “master control/connector”. The rest ofthe combined control/connectors 3 b, 3 c, 3 d, . . . are configured toact as slave nodes, hereinafter referred to as “slavecontrol/connector(s)”. A slave control/connector can in principlecomprise the same units, or components, as the master control/connector.However, only one of the combined control/connectors 3 a is configuredto act as a master node, i.e. set in a master mode. The other combinedcontrol connectors 3 b, 3 c, 3 d, . . . , are set in a slave mode, i.e.these combined control/connectors are configured to act as slave nodes.The master/slave relationship (i.e. which of the combinedcontrol/connectors to set in a master mode or slave mode) can beestablished during manufacturing/assembly of the domestic appliance 1.Accordingly, the master/slave relationship can be established duringmanufacturing/assembly of domestic appliance 1. Once the master/slaverelationship has been established, the direction of control is from thecombined control/connector acting as master to combinedcontrol/connector(s) acting as the slave(s). The communication betweenthe control device 6 and the control/connectors 3 a, 3 b, 3 c, 3 d, . .. is advantageously via the control/connector 3 a that is acting as themaster node.

In the exemplifying embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the bus 2 comprises acommunications bus configured for passage of digital communicationssignals between the master control/connector 3 and the slavecontrol/connectors 3, and a power bus configured for providingelectrical power to the combined control/connectors 3. Thecommunications bus may also be configured for passage of a controlsignal between the combined control/connector 3 and its respectiveoperational component 4 for controlling the operation of saidoperational component 4. Furthermore, the power bus may additionally beconfigured for providing electrical power to said operational component4 via the respective combined control/connector 3.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of acombined control/connector 3.

In the exemplifying embodiment of FIG. 2, the combined control/connector3 comprises a controller 31. The controller 31 can be configured tocontrol the respective operational component 4 in dependence of an(possibly user-selected via UI 7) operational profile of the domesticappliance 1. Still further, the controller 31 can be configured to sensea condition of the respective operational component 4 and generatecontrol signals to components of the domestic appliance 1 in dependenceof the sensed condition.

In the exemplifying embodiment of FIG. 2, the controller 31 comprises aprocessor 32 and communications module 33 communicatively coupled to theprocessor 32. The communications module 33 may be configured for passageof a control signal between the combined control/connector 3 and itsrespective operational component 4 for thereby controlling the operationof its respective operational component 4.

The various combined control/connectors 3 may in principle be identicalfrom a hardware perspective. However as described hereinabove, from afunctional perspective they differ in that one of the combinedcontrol/connectors 3 is configured to act as a master control/connectorand the rest of the combined control/connectors 3 are configured to actas slave control/connectors. In other words, one of the combinedcontrol/connectors is in a master mode and the others are in a slavemode.

If the combined control/connector 3 a is configured to act as themaster, the communications module 33 is adapted for initiating orestablishing communication with one or more of the combinedcontrol/connectors 3 that are configured to act as slave nodes. Forexample, the communications module 33 may be configured for generatingdigital address code signals to access selected slave control/connectors3 b, 3 c, 3 d, . . . . The communications module 33 may also beconfigured for passing transmissions received from any of the slavecontrol/connectors 3 b, 3 c, 3 d, . . . to the processor 31 of themaster control/connector 3.

Each slave control/connector 3 b, 3 c, 3 d, . . . has a pre-defineddigital address code (which has, e.g., been assigned at manufacturing orassembly) When the master control/connector 3 a transmits the digitaladdress code, communication between the master control/connector 3 a andthe slave control/connector 3 b, 3 c, 3 d, . . . associated with saidcode address can be established. Typically, the various slavecontrol/connectors 3 b, 3 c, 3 d, . . . have respective slave nodeaddresses, such that when the master control/connector 3 a transmits acertain code address this causes the slave control/connector, e.g. 3 b,associated with that certain code address to respond. The slavecontrol/connectors 3 b, 3 c, 3 d, . . . nodes are responsive to at leastone of a plurality of slave node address codes so as to generate a slavenode response signal to the master node 3 a. This can be done directlyto the combined control/connector 3 a acting as the master or,alternatively, via one or more of the other slave nodes 3 c, 3 d, 3 e, .. . along the loop of the bus 2.

The processor 32 of each combined control/connector is adapted toreceive data signals from the other combined control/connectors 3 (viathe respective communications modules 33) and generate control signalsfor the respective operational components 4 a, 4 b, 4 c, 4 d, . . . tocontrol domestic appliance 1 operation. The communications modules 33 ofeach combined control/connector 3 is communicatively coupled, either ina wired or a wireless fashion, to a respective operational component 4such that said operational component can be controlled e.g. independence of a measured parameter and/or in accordance with a specificoperational profile. The processors 32 of the various combinedcontrol/connectors 3 may also comprise clock circuitry for coordinatingexchange of data along the bus 2. The processors 32 may additionallycomprise various applications or programs on its microprocessor chip.These various applications or programs may selectively control the rateof updating information from various operational components 4, which arecommunicatively coupled to the various combined control/connectors 3.Different sampling rates, e.g. collection of data from the variousoperational components 4, can be used different modes of applianceoperation, e.g., depending on particular user needs.

In some embodiments, one or several of the multiple combinedcontrol/connectors 3 may additionally comprise a power down module 34,or circuitry, for reducing energy consumption of the domestic appliance1 when the domestic appliance is in an idle state/condition. The powerdown module/circuitry may be configured to shut off associatedoperational components 4 (e.g. turbidity sensors) during the periodswhen the domestic appliance 1 (e.g. dishwasher) is not in use.

Still further, in some embodiments one or several of the multiplecombined control/connectors 3 may comprise applications for shutting offthe respective operational component 4 if the operational component 4has not been addressed by the user interface 7 for a pre-determinedperiod of time. This may provide for a domestic appliance 1 with a“fail-safe” mode of operation.

In still a further embodiment, one or several of the combinedcontrol/connectors 3 a, 3 b, 3 c, 3 d, . . . comprises a diagnosticsmodule 35 for monitoring or checking appliance condition for thepurposes of analyzing and diagnosing operational components 4 a, 4 b, 4c, 4 d, . . . in need of repair. The diagnostics module 35 can beconfigured to generate commands directly to the respective operationalcomponent 4 a, 4 b, 4 c, 4 d, . . . for requesting a response signalfrom the operational components 4 a, 4 b, 4 c, 4 d, . . . when it isdesired to check the operational component.

It should be appreciated that the various above-mentioned modules of thecombined control/connectors 3 illustrated in FIG. 2, such as thecommunications module 33, can be realized by hardware or software or acombination of both hardware and software.

EXAMPLE

With reference to FIG. 3 and by way of example and not limitation, thebus control system 10 (see FIG. 1; not shown in FIG. 3) can be disposedwithin a dishwasher 100. In the dishwasher 100, the bus control systemprovides for user inputs via the user interface (not shown in FIG. 3) tocontrol water temperature and corresponding operational components (forhot and cold water) to control the dishwashing water supply to providethe desire temperature. Still further, operational components such as aturbidity sensor 4 or the like can be used to sense the watercleanliness and, accordingly, determine the proper length of washingcycles, timing for the addition of detergent, etc. Moreover, operationalcomponents such as speed sensors can similarly provide further input fordishwasher control.

II

In advantageous embodiments of the invention, which are shown in FIG. 4,a domestic appliance 1 comprises a bus 2 having connected to it aplurality of combined control/connectors 3, which are identical withrespect to one another, and at least one power supply module 5. Thecombined control/connectors 3 comprise connecting means 30 forconnecting an operational component 4 of the appliance 1. Examples ofcombined control/connectors 3 are shown in FIG. 4 and will be discussedin more detail below. Examples of power supply modules 5 are shown inFIG. 5 and will be discussed below.

FIG. 4 a shows a combined control/connector 3 for use with a two-linebus 2 comprising a data line COM and a power line PWR. The combinedcontrol/connector 3 includes a number of communicatively coupledfunctional sections: a processing means 32 (such as a microprocessor, acomputer, an field programmable gate array, FPGA, or the like), acommunication interface 33 for connection of the processing means 32 tothe data line COM, a memory 36 (such as a semi-conductor memory,preferably of a non-volatile type), a connecting means 30 (e.g., aterminal providing ohmic connection) and a controllable switching means37 (e.g., at least one optocoupler, transistor, thyristor, triac orrelay) operable to connect the connecting means 30 and the power linePWR of the bus 2. It is stressed that each functional section can beembodied as several physical units, and one physical unit may beresponsible for carrying out more than one function. In FIG. 4 a, theconnecting means 30 connects an operational component exemplified by amotor 4. The communication interface 33 is adapted to transmit andreceive communications over the data line COM of the bus 2. The combinedcontrol/connector in FIG. 4 a is adapted to power the motor 4 and not toreceive any signal from its environment except for the bus 2. In thisand most other figures, earthing, fuses and other implementation detailswhich are evident to the person skilled in the art have been omitted forthe sake of clarity.

FIG. 5 a shows a power supply module 5 for use with a two-line bus 2 asshown in FIG. 4 a. The power supply module 5 comprises a communicationinterface 53, a second processing means 52, a memory 56 and acontrollable switching means 57, each of which may embodied as acorresponding unit in the combined control/connector 3 shown in FIG. 4a. The controllable switching means 57 is connected via an outputconnecting means 50 to an operational component adapted to be driven atcomparatively large current, this fact being exemplified by a heatingelement 4. The communication interface 53 is shown connected to the dataline COM. To the power line PWR are connected the controllable switchingmeans 57 and, parallel thereto, a voltage converter 59 connected toelectric mains MNS (or, more generally, a voltage driving the domesticappliance) via an input connecting means 51. The voltage converter 59may include a rectifier and/or a voltage transformer so as to outputelectric power at a bus voltage, preferably lower than the electricmains. To allow the heating element 4 to be powered at high current, itmay be suitable to select a relay rather than a thyristor-based deviceas controllable switching means 57.

If more than one power supply module 5 according to FIG. 5 a areconnected to the bus 2, it is not necessary that all of these areconnected to electric mains. The non-connected power supply modules 5will be powered by the connected ones via the power line PWR of the bus2.

In this embodiment, the network comprises combined control/connectors 3and power supply modules 5. All combined control/connectors 3 haveidentical hardware but may differ in terms of the information stored intheir respective memories 36. Further, all power supply modules, ifseveral are provided, have identical hardware in this embodiment; ifthey differ at all, it is with respect of their memory content only.

FIG. 4 b shows a combined control/connector 3 for use with a one-wirebus 2, comprising only a data line COM. Because the binary “low” valueused in the bus 2 is greater than ground voltage (e.g., a few volts maybe suitable in a domestic appliance), the data line COM can be used bothfor transmission of information and for powering operational components4 connected to this and other instances of the combinedcontrol/connector 3. Preferably, the power supply module (not shown)responsible for powering the bus admits that a current above normalsignalling current intensity be drawn from the bus 2. In thisembodiment, the communication interface 33 is adapted to store electricenergy so that it is able to transmit communications over the bus 2 byintermittently raising the potential of the data line COM from thebinary “low” value to the binary “high” value. In a variation to theembodiment discussed previously in this section, the combinedcontrol/connector 3 of FIG. 4 b may replace that of FIG. 4 a. However,there is still identity up to memory content of the combinedcontrol/connectors 3 in the network.

FIG. 4 c shows another combined control/connector 3 which may serve as areplacement in another variation to the above embodiment. FIG. 4 c moreprecisely shows two instances of a combined control/connector 3 whichincludes the sections of the combined control/connector of FIG. 4 a,wherein the connecting means 30 includes both a powering terminal forsupplying electric energy and a sensing terminal for receiving a signalfrom an operational component. The powering terminal is connected to thecontrollable switching means 37, whereas the sensing terminal isconnected to the processing means 32. The sensing terminal may receive asignal indicative of a physical or chemical state of the operationalcomponent. On the drawing, a powering terminal of a first combinedcontrol/connector 3 b is connected to a motor 4 b, while a sensingterminal 30 a of a second combined control/connector 3 a is connected toa thermometer 4 a arranged to sense the current temperature of the motor4 b. In all other respects, except possibly for memory content, the twocombined control/connectors 3 are identical as regards hardware.

FIG. 4 d shows yet another combined control/connector 3, capable ofreplacing any of those previously discussed in association with afour-line bus 2. More precisely, the bus 2 comprises a data line COM, asignal-power line PWR, a signal earthing line GND and an electric mainsline MNS, the latter supplying higher-voltage electric power, such as230 V AC. The communication interface 33 is in this case connected tothe data COM, signal-power PWR and earthing GND lines. The signal-powerline PWR powers the combined control/connector 3 itself but notprimarily the operational component 4 connected thereto. Instead, thelatter is powered directly from the mains line MNS via the controllableswitching means 37. The powering at mains voltage is in principle notrestricted to high-power operational components; in practicalcircumstances it is sometimes advantageous to power all operationalcomponents in a domestic appliance at the same voltage.

FIG. 5 b shows an alternative to the power supply module 5 shown in FIG.5 a and capable of replacing this in a network in a domestic appliance1. In the power supply module 5 of FIG. 5 b, the voltage converter 59has two different outputs, one connected with the power line PWR of thebus 2 and one connected with the controllable switching means 57. Hence,the voltage converter 59 may supply two different voltages, one busvoltage and one voltage suitable for driving the high-power operationalcomponent connected to the power supply module, which is hereexemplified by a heating element 4. With the circuit topology shown inFIG. 5 b it is only possible to power the operational module if theinput connecting means 51 of the power supply module 5 is connected toelectric power.

FIG. 5 c shows a simple embodiment of a power supply module 5, whichdoes not power any operational component connected to the module andtherefore is devoid of processing means and related entities. The powersupply module 5 comprises a voltage converter 58 serving the onlypurpose of powering bus. The voltage converter 58 is in turn powered byelectric mains power MNS connected to it via an input connecting meansMNS.

FIG. 5 d shows a power supply module 5 similar to that of FIG. 5 c,however adapted for use with a four-line bus 2. The structure of the bus2 has already been explained above in connection with FIG. 4 d.

As a further alternative (not appearing on the drawings), any of thecombined control/connectors 3 shown in FIG. 4 may include a voltageconverter for powering the power line PWR of the bus 2. Similarly to thepower supply module 5 of FIG. 5 a, all the combined control/connectors 3in the domestic appliance include such a voltage converter but not allare connected to electric mains. Indeed, it may be sufficient to connectonly one of the combined control/connectors 3 to electric mains. As aconsequence, the network around the bus 2 may be devoid of power supplymodules 5, thus comprising combined control/connectors 3 only.

It is preferred that communication over the bus 2 takes placeasynchronously. Thus, no clock pulse generator is necessary and nodedicated clock line for this purpose is required in the bus 2. As iswell-known to those skilled in the art, asynchronous communicationincludes use of start bits or the like at the beginning ofcommunications. A comparatively large portion of the bits transmittedover the network may be spent on start bits, which in practicerepresents a negligible disadvantage in a domestic appliance consideringthe limited quantities of information involved.

While synchronization is catered for by start bits and the like inasynchronous communication, it may still be suitable to calibrate thecombined control/connectors 3 with respect to their clock frequency. Ina preferable embodiment, the processing means 32 of all network modulesincludes an oscillator which can be calibrated by adjusting the value oftrim registers therein. The calibration may take place at the beginningof a work cycle. As one example, in a network comprising one powersupply module 5 and a plurality of combined control/connectors 3, thepower supply module 5 emits a series of pulses at predeterminedfrequency at the beginning of a work cycle. Each combinedcontrol/connectors 3 receives the sequence of pulses and compares theirfrequency with the frequency of its own oscillator. If a difference isfound to exist, the combined control/connector 3 modifies its trimregister values so as to compensate for this.

III

In an embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of modulesinterconnected by a bus, particularly combined control/connectors, areadapted to control the operational components of a domestic appliance ina non-hierarchical fashion. All modules have equal authority to takemeasures and decisions, and the responsibility for advancing apredefined programme shifts between different modules in differentphases of the programme. In particular, the programme may include asequence of phases, the transitions between which are made dependent onconditions pertaining to measured values, component status, user inputsor other observations. According to this embodiment, not all decisionsas to whether such conditions are fulfilled are taken by one singlemodule, but decisions relating to different conditions may be theresponsibility of several different modules. Likewise, if the initiationand/or termination of some phases is conditional on the expiry of apredetermined time period, all modules in the network are equallycapable and eligible for measuring this time period and for causing theprogramme to shift to the subsequent phase after the time period.

FIG. 6 includes a signalling diagram showing, with respect to time(vertical axis), the exchange of communications between combinedcontrol/connectors 3 in a network in a domestic appliance, part of whichis shown below the signalling diagram. Three operational components 4,labelled “A”, “B” and “C”, are connected to respective combinedcontrol/connectors 3 a, 3 b and 3 c. Each combined control/connector 3is associated with a label identifying the operational component 4 towhich it is connected. Communications over the network are transmittedto all combined control/connectors 3 but may be specified by a labelindicating the combined control/connector 3 from which it requiresaction. The other combined control/connectors 3 may then ignore thecommunication.

In the signalling diagram at the top of the figure, four operationalphases OP1, . . . , OP4 are indicated. In the first phase OP1, the Bcomponent is active; in the second phase OP2, the C component is active;in the third phase OP3, the A and B components are active; and in thefourth phase OP4, the C component is active. In this example, eachoperational phase is initiated by transmission of a communication overthe network.

Thus, a first communication prior to the first operational phase OP1 issent over the bus 2 to all network modules, but is specified by thelabel “B” and thereby activates the second combined control/connector 3b. In accordance with processor-executable instructions stored in thememory of the second combined control/connector 3 b, the firstcommunication initiates the first operational phase OP1. Theinstructions further specify that the first operational phase OP1involves activity of the B operational component 3 b and is to end aafter a predetermined time period, which is when the C component 3 c isto be activated. Thus, after the first operational phase OP1, the secondcombined control/connector 3 b transmits a communication specified forthe third combined control/connector 3 c, which will thus be ignored bythe first combined control/connector 3 a. The second operational phaseOP2 is initiated by the third combined control/connector 3 c and is anidle period in which the C component 3 c, which in this example is aninput means, awaits input from a user. When the third combinedcontrol/connector 3 c decides that the input has been received, ittransmits a communication to the effect that the first and secondcombined control/connectors are activated jointly. More precisely, thisthird operational phase OP3 involves that the B component 3 b isoperated in a feedback fashion with respect to an output parametermeasured by the A component 3 a. For instance, the B component 3 b maybe a radiator and the A component 3 a a thermal sensor arranged in aspace heated by the radiator. The feedback operation of the B component3 b may proceed for a predetermined time period (including intermittentpowering of the heater so that a predetermined fixed or evolvingtemperature is achieved) or, as an alternative, until the heated spacehas reached a predetermined time period (including, possibly, constantpowering of the heater until the temperature condition is fulfilled). Inneither case is there any preference a priori regarding whether the Acomponent 3 a or B component 3 b should make the decision when toterminate the third operational phase OP3, for the processing means 32of both combined control/connectors 3 are identical and include a timemeasuring means (e.g., an oscillator) and the information contained inthe thermal sensor signal received by the first combinedcontrol/connector 3 a may be forwarded to the second combinedcontrol/connector 3 b over the bus 2. The information may be forwardedin the form of bus communications (not shown) which, unlike the first,second and third communications, do not cause initiation of anoperational phase; they constitute a mediation of information. In theexample shown in the figure, the second combined control/connector 3 bis responsible for terminating the third operational phase OP3. Afterthe termination, the second combined control/connector 3 b transmits afourth communication labelled for the third combined control/connector 3c, which is programmed to initiate a fourth operational phase OP4 afterreceipt of this communication. The fourth operational phase OP4 is thefinal phase in the work cycle, and the instructions stored in the memoryof the third combined control/connector 3 c does not cause it totransmit any communication at the end of the phase.

In the context of applications of the present invention, an operationalphase may include controlling an operational component and transmittinginformation to a component (e.g., an indicator forming part of a userinterface) in addition to the actions of powering a component, receivinginformation from a component and performing feedback control of acomponent, as discussed in the previous example. The interactionsbetween the combined control/connectors 3 and their connectedoperational components 4 constitute a joint and non-hierarchic controlof the domestic appliance 1.

As discussed above, it is advantageous to equip all combinedcontrol/connectors in a uniform, preferably identical, fashion asregards their hardware. They may be personalised and distinguished interms the content of their memory, that is, the processor-executableinstructions governing the interactions between groups of combinedcontrol/connectors and between a combined control/connectors and anoperational component of the domestic appliance.

IV

The following paragraphs disclose advantageous procedures of manufactureof domestic appliances in accordance with embodiments of the presentinvention. In particular, programming (download of software, that is,processor-executable instructions) of several network modules effectedfrom one easily accessible connection point in the network. Preferably,it is possible to download software to all network modules (includingboth combined control/connectors and power supply modules) by connectinga programming device to a service connection point arranged at the bus.The software allows the network modules to cooperate in order to controlthe domestic appliance. Advantageously, the network modules control thedomestic appliance non-hierarchically as described above.

FIG. 7 shows a domestic appliance 1 having a bus 2 to which areconnected five combined control/connectors 3, each having an associatedconnected operational component 4. Each of the combinedcontrol/connectors 3 (and, in embodiments where such are provided, eachpower supply module) has a hardware structure allowing it to cooperatewith similar modules, namely the structure discussed in connection withFIGS. 4 and 5. Indeed, it is preferred that all network modules haveidentical hardware and are distinguishable only in terms of their memorycontent. Further, there is provided a service connector 61, which isadapted to connect a programming device 70 and/or a servicing device 71and is preferably localised in order to be easily accessible. Each ofthe programming device 70 and the servicing device 71 may be embodied asa workstation, personal computer, computer terminal, mobilecommunication device or the like. The servicing device 71 may receiveinformation regarding the status and health of operational componentswhich is obtained through diagnostic methods carried out by a combinedcontrol/connector or power supply module in the network. Such diagnosticmethods may be initiated periodically, so that the information is readyand available on request by the servicing device 71, or may be initiatedby a diagnosis communication transmitted by the servicing device whenconnected to the network. In response hereto, the servicing device 71receives a communication containing diagnostic information.

Moreover, to facilitate error detection, which is a crucial part of mostservice operations, the network modules of the domestic appliance may becontrollable externally by communications transmitted from the servicingdevice 71. This allows testing—as well as repeated testing—of specificfunctionalities of the operational components, which may otherwise beeffected only once in a work cycle of the appliance. Further still, theservicing device 71 may be adapted to upgrade the software stored in thenetwork modules

The downloading (or flashing) of software to the respective memories 36of the combined control/connectors 3 may take place after theoperational components 4 have been physically connected to the formerand these have been physically interconnected through the bus 2 of thedomestic appliance 1. To initiate the network, which may be said toinvolve a functional interconnection of these devices, a programmingdevice 70 is connected to the bus at the service connector 61.

More precisely, the programming may take place after a personalisationphase effected at (first) powering up of the modules, as encoded byinstructions stored in a non-volatile storage arranged within the memory36 or the processing means 32. These instructions may be stored into thenon-volatile storage at manufacture of the modules, for thepersonalisation can be deemed to be necessary or useful irrespective ofthe domestic appliance that the modules are to be used in. In thepersonalisation phase, each module assumes a label which identifies theoperational component connected to the module. If no operationalcomponent is connected, the module may assume a “blank” label indicatingthis or may choose to be devoid of a label, whereby it may be excludedfrom cooperation in the network if a network communication protocol sodefines. The label should identify the operational component rather thanthe module connecting the component to the bus, as the formerinformation is arguably more relevant for operating the domesticappliance. In one embodiment, the module may interact with theoperational component connected to it in order to obtain informationidentifying the component, e.g., by transmitting an inquiry to thecomponent and receiving a response. Based on the identity of theoperational component the module defines a label and assumes this forlater reference.

In an alternative embodiment, the personalisation of the modules is notcarried out automatically at powering-up, but takes place in response toinstructions transmitted from the programming device 70.

After personalisation, the modules can be referenced by individuallabels, so that one communication transmitted over the network (as inthe embodiments discussed previously, communications are preferably notsent between two specific modules but are rather sent in an open fashionover the bus, allowing every network module to receive the communicationand, possibly, to take action necessitated by this) can be specified asrequiring action from one or more particular modules. This provides foran advantageous procedure for downloading software to the modules. As aconsiderable portion of the software is common to all modules—thisregards, e.g., the communication protocol for the bus, proceduresrelating to calibration of units in the modules—this portion can bedownloaded to all modules at once by means of a non-specifiedcommunication. The individual portion of a module's software is providedin at least one other communication, transmitted before or after thecommunication containing the common portion, specified by the label ofthe module. It is noted that the common portion of the software is, as arule, specific to the domestic appliance and downloading it already atmanufacture of the (generic) network modules would limit theiradaptability to different applications, that is, between different typesof domestic appliances.

FIG. 8 shows a time evolution of a module, exemplified by a combinedcontrol/connector 3 connected, on the one hand, to a bus 2 in a domesticappliance (not shown) and, on the other, to an operational componentexemplified by a motor 4 connected via a connecting means 30. In thisembodiment, the processing means 32 of the combined control/connector isresponsible for storing a label identifying the motor 4 and formonitoring bus traffic for communications specified by this label. Amemory 36 is adapted to store processor-executable instructions(software). Directly after powering-up, at a time point 1, theprocessing means 32 does not store a label and the memory 36 is empty.At point 2, personalisation has taken place, and the processing means 32stores a label “M” identifying the motor 4. The memory is still empty.Point 3 lies after the download of the common portion I1 of the softwareto the memory 36 via the bus 2 from a programming device (not shown).Suitably, the common portion I1 is distributed by means of anon-specified communication instructing all modules, including thepresent one, to store the common portion I1 in their respectivememories. An individual software portion I2 is downloaded between timepoints 3 and 4, preferably as part of a communication transmitted by theprogramming device 70 and encoding the label “M” which specifies it forthe combined control/connector 3 shown in FIG. 8. The later downloadingof software may be preceded or followed by downloads of furtherindividual software portions to other modules. It is also possible toeffect download of a software portion that is common to a sub-group ofmodules but not to all; this may then be carried out by means of acommunication specified by the labels of the modules in the sub-group.The common, partially common and individual portions may be stored inthe same memory, in separate segments of one memory or in differentmemories of the combined control/connectors.

In an alternative embodiment, the same software is downloaded to allnetwork modules but portions thereof are then masked, disabled ordeleted, in accordance with a subsequent personalized communicationtransmitted to each module. Alternatively, each network module isadapted to perform the masking itself by combining instructions in thesoftware code with the knowledge of the identity of its operationalcomponent. Clearly, the use of memory resources in the embodimentsdiscussed in this paragraph do not, however, represent an equallymemory-economic procedure as the selective downloading discussedpreviously.

A very advantageous feature of the present embodiment is that the labelsassumed by the network modules are determined by the operationalcomponents connected to the modules. Therefore, since the labelsidentify the respective operational components, it is possible toreference the modules in the software code in terms of their associatedoperational components, in other words, in terms of their operationalcapabilities in the domestic appliance. As a consequence, a softwareprogramme for controlling the domestic appliance may be written inadvance, thus without knowing where a particular network module will bearranged in the appliance at assembly, but may still successfullyinclude commands influencing a well-defined operational component—or anoperational component of a well-defined type—through the intermediary ofthis network module.

As a particular example, the software may contain instructions causing anetwork module, e.g., a combined control/connector, to transmit acommunication specified for a module responsible for a particularoperational component. This is useful, inter alia, for effectingtransitions between operational phases, as outlined above.

In a variant to this embodiment, which may be time-economical but mayalso require greater care from the persons involved in assembly, thenetwork modules (combined control/connectors or power supply modules)are pre-programmed after connection to the operational components butbefore they are physically interconnected via the bus. As analternative, the network modules may be pre-programmed before they arephysically connected to any other device. Such approach will probablyrequire tagging the network modules so that they are mounted at properlocations in the domestic appliance.

V

It is advantageous to combined technical features from several of theembodiments described above. A few particular examples are:

-   -   (i) A bus in a domestic appliance has connected to it a        plurality of modules, which are either identical throughout        regarding hardware (differing, possibly, with respect to memory        content) or are identical (up to memory content) within each of        two groups, namely a first group containing identical combined        control/connectors and a second group containing at least one        power supply module. Operational components of the domestic        appliance are connected to the modules. The modules are adapted        to control the domestic appliance non-hierarchically in the        sense further detailed above.    -   (ii) A bus in a domestic appliance has connected to it a        plurality of modules, which are either identical throughout        regarding hardware (differing, possibly, with respect to memory        content) or are identical (up to memory content) within each of        two groups, namely a first group containing identical combined        control/connectors and a second group containing at least one        power supply module. Operational components of the domestic        appliance are connected to the modules. The modules are        programmable at initiation in a one-point fashion, namely by        connecting a programming device to a point on the bus and        downloading software separated into at least one common portion        and at least one individual portion.    -   (iii) A bus in a domestic appliance has connected to it a        plurality of modules, which are either identical throughout        regarding hardware (differing, possibly, with respect to memory        content) or are identical (up to memory content) within each of        two groups, namely a first group containing identical combined        control/connectors and a second group containing at least one        power supply module. Operational components of the domestic        appliance are connected to the modules. After programming at        initiation in a one-point fashion, by connecting a programming        device to a point on the bus and downloading software separated        into at least one common portion and at least one individual        portion, the modules are adapted to cooperate in order to        control the domestic appliance non-hierarchically, as further        detailed above.    -   (iv) Modules in a domestic appliance are interconnected via a        bus, and operational components of the domestic appliance are        connected to the modules. After programming at initiation in a        one-point fashion, by connecting a programming device to a point        on the bus and downloading software separated into at least one        common portion and at least one individual portion, the modules        are adapted to cooperate in order to control the domestic        appliance non-hierarchically, as further detailed above.

In addition to the embodiments described in this section and earlier,the invention can be embodied as follows:

Embodiment 1

A domestic appliance (1) comprising a bus (2) disposed within thedomestic appliance (1), characterized in that multiple combinedcontrol/connectors (3 a, 3 b, 3 c, 3 d, . . . ) are electrically coupledto the bus (2), wherein each combined control/connector (3 a, 3 b, 3 c,3 d, . . . ) is electrically connected via the bus (2) to at least oneof the other combined control/connectors (3 a, 3 b, 3 c, 3 d, . . . ) tothereby power the at least one combined control/connector (3 a, 3 b, 3c, 3 d, . . . ), and wherein each combined control/connector (3 a, 3 b,3 c, 3 d, . . . ) is communicatively coupled to a respective operationalcomponent (4 a, 4 b, 4 c, 4 d, . . . ) of the domestic appliance (1) tothereby control the same, said operational component (4 a, 4 b, 4 c, 4d, . . . ) being associated with a certain operation or function of thedomestic appliance.

Embodiment 2

The domestic appliance (1) according to embodiment 1, wherein eachcombined control/connector comprises a connector block into which acontroller is integrated.

Embodiment 3

The domestic appliance (1) according to embodiment 1 or 2, wherein oneof the combined control/connectors (3 a, 3 b, 3 c, 3 d, . . . ) isconfigured to act as a master node and the rest of the combinedcontrol/connectors (3 a, 3 b, 3 c, 3 d, . . . ) are configured to act asslave nodes, and wherein the master node is adapted for establishingcommunication between the master node and the slave nodes, and eachslave node is configured to be responsive to at least one of a pluralityof slave node address codes so as to generate a slave node responsesignal to the master node.

Embodiment 4

The domestic appliance according to embodiment 3, wherein the buscomprises both a communications bus configured for passage of digitalcommunications signals between the combined control/connector (3 a, 3 b,3 c, 3 d, . . . ) acting as the master node and the combinedcontrol/connectors (3 a, 3 b, 3 c, 3 d, . . . ) acting as slave nodes,and a power bus configured for providing electrical power to thecombined control/connectors (3 a, 3 b, 3 c, 3 d, . . . ).

Embodiment 5

The domestic appliance (1) according to any of the precedingembodiments, wherein each combined control/connector (3 a, 3 b, 3 c, 3d, . . . ) comprises a controller (31) configured to control therespective operational component (4 a, 4 b, 4 c, 4 d, . . . ) independence of an operational profile of the domestic appliance (1).

Embodiment 6

The domestic appliance (1) according to any of the precedingembodiments, wherein each combined control/connector (3 a, 3 b, 3 c, 3d, . . . ) comprises a controller (31) configured to sense a conditionof the respective operational component (4 a, 4 b, 4 c, 4 d, . . . ) andgenerate control signals to components of the domestic appliance (1) independence of the sensed condition.

Embodiment 7

The domestic appliance (1) according to embodiment 5 or 6, wherein thecontroller (31) comprises a processor (32) and a communications module(33) communicatively coupled to the processor (32), wherein thecommunications module (33) is configured for passage of a controlsignal, generated by the processor (32), between the combinedcontrol/connector (3 a, 3 b, 3 c, 3 d, . . . ) and its respectiveoperational component (4 a, 4 b, 4 c, 4 d, . . . ) for controlling theoperation of said operational component.

Embodiment 8

The domestic appliance (1) according to any of embodiments 4 to 7,wherein the power bus is configured for providing electrical power tothe operational components (4 a, 4 b, 4 c, 4 d, . . . ) via therespective combined control/connectors (3 a, 3 b, 3 c, 3 d, . . . ).

Embodiment 9

The domestic appliance (1) according to any of the precedingembodiments, wherein domestic appliance (1) is a washing machine.

Embodiment 10

The domestic appliance according to any of the preceding embodiments,wherein domestic appliance (1) is a dishwasher.

Embodiment 11

The domestic appliance (1) according to embodiment 9 or 10, wherein theoperational component (4 a, 4 b, 4 c, 4 d, . . . ) is a component fromthe group comprising: a motor, a pump, a heater, a sensor, or a valve.

Embodiment 12

The domestic appliance (1) according to any of embodiments 1 to 8,wherein domestic appliance is an appliance from the group comprising: arefrigerator, a freezer, a drying cabinet, a stove, an oven or amicrowave oven.

VI

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in thedrawings and foregoing description, such illustration and descriptionare to be considered illustrative or exemplary and not restrictive; theinvention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Other variationsto the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by thoseskilled in the art in practicing the claimed invention, from a study ofthe drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. The mere factthat certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claimsdoes not indicate that a combination of these measured cannot be used toadvantage. Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed aslimiting the scope.

It is pointed out that the drawings refer to functional structures andmay not correspond to the precise hardware structure of the servers andnodes. One hardware unit may be adapted to execute more than one of theindicated tasks and one task may be effected by several cooperatingunits. In particular, a processing device may be adapted to execute anumber of different functions in an entity operating in the contentdelivery system.

A number of the disclosed methods may be implemented as a computerprogram and may be distributed when stored by a computer-readablemedium. By way of example, computer-readable mediums may comprisecomputer storage media and communication media. As is well known to aperson skilled in the art, computer storage media includes both volatileand non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in anymethod or technology for storage of information such as computerreadable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data.Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM,EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digitalversatile disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes,magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices,or any other medium which can be used to store the desired informationand which can be accessed by a computer. Further, it is known to theskilled person that communication media typically embodies computerreadable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data ina modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transportmechanism and includes any information delivery media.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method of non-hierarchically controlling a domestic appliance comprising a plurality of operational components connected via combined control/connectors, which each combined control/connector comprises: a processing means; a memory for storing instructions executable by the processing means; a connecting means communicatively coupled to the processing means, for connecting an operational component of the domestic appliance; and additional hardware communicatively coupled to the processing means, wherein all combined control/connectors, including at least a first combined control/connector and a second combined control/connector, have identical processing means, memory, connecting means and additional hardware, and are distinguishable only with respect to memory content, which combined control/connectors are in turn communicatively interconnected via a bus, the method including the following steps: at the first combined control/connector: A1) initiating an operational phase by interacting with an operational component connected to the first combined control/connector; A2) terminating the operational phase; and A3) transmitting a communication that the operational phase is terminated to the second combined control/connector such that the first combined control/connector is configured to facilitate non-hierarchical control with the second combined control/connector; at the second combined control/connector: B1) receiving the communication from the first combined control/connector; B2) initiating, responsive to the communication from the first combined control/connector, an operational phase by interacting with an operational component connected to the second combined control/connector; and B3) terminating the operational phase.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of: B4) transmitting a communication that the operational phase is terminated to the first combined control/connector.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of: B4′) transmitting a communication that the operational phase is terminated to a third combined control/connector.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the operational phases are at least one of i) powering the operational component for a predetermined period of time; ii) transmitting information to the operational component; iii) receiving information from the operational component; iv) performing feedback-controlled powering of the operational component in response to information received from another operational component; and v) controlling the operational component.
 5. A domestic appliance (1) comprising a bus to which a plurality of combined control/connectors are connected to form a network, said combined control/connectors being adapted to communicate via the bus, each combined control/connector comprising: a processing means; a memory for storing instructions executable by the processing means; a connecting means for connecting an operational component of the domestic appliance, said connecting means being communicatively coupled to the processing means; and additional hardware communicatively coupled to the processing means, wherein all combined control/connectors have identical processing means, memory, connecting means and additional hardware, and are distinguishable only with respect to memory content, wherein each said combined control/connector is adapted to cooperate with at least one further combined control/connectors connected to it in order to non-hierarchically control the domestic appliance.
 6. The domestic appliance of claim 5, wherein each combined control/connector is configured to: i) power the operational component for a predetermined period of time; ii) transmit information to the operational component; iii) receive information from the operational component; iv) perform feedback-controlled powering of the operational component in response to information received from another operational component; or v) control the operational component.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second combined control/connectors coincide.
 8. The method of claim 4, wherein the information from another operational component is mediated by another combined control/connector than the combined control/connector initiating the operational phase.
 9. The domestic appliance of claim 6, wherein the information from another operational component is mediated by another combined control/connector than the combined control/connector. 